Podcast Summary: Social Media Marketing Talk Show

Episode: LinkedIn Updates: Prospect Search Enhancements, Event Ads Features, and More
Host: Jerry Potter (Social Media Examiner)
Guest: Judy Fox (LinkedIn Strategist)
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the latest LinkedIn updates, including key platform growth stats, a major new AI-driven people search feature for prospecting, enhancements to LinkedIn Events and event ads, and insights from LinkedIn’s new small business growth report. Judy Fox and Jerry Potter discuss how these updates impact marketers and small businesses, emphasizing trends for 2026—especially how AI and networking are shaping success on LinkedIn.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LinkedIn's Performance and Growth Metrics

(02:04–04:59)

• Revenue & Membership:

  • LinkedIn reported $18B in revenue; membership is up to 1.3 billion professionals.

• Engagement Increases:

  • Comments are up 24%, indicating more conversation rather than just posting.
  • Impressions on comments can now be viewed and reported, allowing brands to tie commenting strategies to business goals.

• Video Uploads:

  • Three consecutive quarters of double-digit growth in video uploads.
  • Caveat: Growth is about "uploads," not necessarily engagement or results (watch time not reported).

  Notable Quotes:

  • Judy Fox [02:31]: "Comments are up 24%. Brands and businesses are recognizing that it's a conversation that we have to have to grow our businesses."
  • Jerry Potter [03:17]: "There are people... getting more reach with their comments on other people's posts than they are on their own content."
  • Judy Fox [04:28]: "It's just talking about the data of what got put on the platform, not the results it got for people."

2. LinkedIn Small Business Growth Report: Video, AI, and Networking

(07:20–11:22)

• Small Business Creation is "Exploding":

  • 69% year-over-year growth in small business creation.

• Video as the New Language of Internet:

  • 79% of small businesses say video is now the language of the internet.
  • The hosts acknowledge this is part predictive ("hopeful language" from LinkedIn) and part data-driven.

• AI as a Growth Lever:

  • 54% of US small business leaders say AI is essential for their current growth.
  • 76% report AI is helping them compete with larger businesses.
  • LinkedIn predicts AI could unlock $1.6 trillion in productive capacity for US small businesses.

• Importance of Networking:

  • 73% of small businesses cite networking as essential, especially as AI content grows. Human connection becomes a differentiator.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Judy Fox [09:07]: "AI is now the number one growth lever for small businesses."
  • Jerry Potter [10:51]: "If video is the new language... it elevates trust. It lets people feel like they know somebody in a way a blog post never could."
  • Judy Fox [11:22]: “Definitely read that report... it does signal to your teams where you may want to put your dollars, your money, your time, your effort, next year.”

3. New AI-Driven People Search for Prospecting

(11:35–14:20)

• Feature Overview:

  • Live for US-based Premium users only (at time of episode).
  • Shift from exact keyword/job title searches to natural language queries—finds matches based on intent and inferred information.

• Implications:

  • Simplifies finding prospects and candidates.
  • Gives marketers the ability to describe their ideal contact in everyday language.
  • Especially beneficial for those who struggle making complex Boolean searches on LinkedIn.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Judy Fox [11:58]: "We're taking it from exact keywords and job titles and LinkedIn is now turning it into a natural language people search."
  • Judy Fox [13:07]: "Now you can talk about, 'I’m looking for people who used to work at this company who now have become founders in healthcare in New York City.'"
  • Jerry Potter [14:20]: "For some people, this might be the reason to upgrade to premium."

4. LinkedIn Events: New Tools, Ads, and Analytics

(14:36–16:19)

• New Features:

  • Enhanced tools for event promotion, audience targeting, and measuring event outcomes.
  • Integration with ON24 for event management and boosting.
  • Ability to link event registration directly to CRMs.

• Why it Matters:

  • Supports networking and trust-building, especially when paired with video—themes central to LinkedIn’s 2026 outlook.
  • Events offer social proof that's crucial in the AI era, as attendees validate trustworthiness by their presence.

• Measurement Cautions: Some of the feature claims are broad; data or detailed results have not yet been provided.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Jerry Potter [15:43]: "Events come with trust. From the social proof standpoint, that's something we have to factor in."
  • Judy Fox [16:19]: “Public conversations are going to convert to private conversations.”
  • Judy Fox [16:38]: “It can build better trust. That—back to the trust word. So, yes, I think the theme going into 2026 is trust.”

Memorable Moments & Thematic Highlights

• Trust as a 2026 Theme:
  "The theme going into 2026 is trust." — Judy Fox [16:38]
• Practical Tip:
  If you're measuring results, look not just at what LinkedIn says is increasing (like uploads), but actual engagement and business outcomes.
• AI & Human Connection:
  Even as AI advances, networking and trust-building remain central.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:04–04:59] – LinkedIn growth data, comments, and video trends
• [07:20–11:22] – Analysis of LinkedIn’s small business report: AI, video, and networking insights
• [11:35–14:20] – AI-driven prospect search: natural language processing for better connections
• [14:36–16:19] – New LinkedIn Event features: promotion, measurement, and CRM integration
• [16:19–end] – Building trust in the age of AI; public vs. private conversations; episode conclusions

Additional Resources & Where to Connect

• AI Marketing Masterclass: socialmediaexaminer.com/aitools
• Judy Fox on LinkedIn: Connect with Judy at “Judi Fox” (note the ‘I’ in Judi).

For marketers and small business owners, this episode underscores not only the continuing AI-driven transformation of LinkedIn but also the enduring importance of human networking and trust in digital marketing for 2026.